Basics of botanical watercolor painting

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A drawing of one type of plant or several, made in watercolor, is called botanical painting. Plants should be the right composition, attractive to the eye. The image is most often very realistic, which is due to the detailed study of the construction and the right color ratio.

Development of technology

Initially, drawings of plants served practical purposes. Flowers were depicted as materials for medical and scientific research. Illustrations of flowers as a separate type of drawing continued to develop along with the natural sciences and, in fact, botany, and reached a special flowering with the advancement of the printing industry in the 18th century. The popularization of photography in the 20th century, it would seem, could put an end to the successful existence of illustration, but this did not happen, and it is still popular. In addition, in recent years, technology has begun to gain even greater momentum.popularity.

Getting started on botanical watercolor painting

The first step is to carefully study the model with which the image will be drawn. It is necessary to consider in detail all the details of the structure of the plant: leaves, stems, petals. Particular attention should be paid to the smallest and most important elements, such as the attachment points of leaves and flowers to the stem, features of veins, stamens, pistils. Without an accurate representation of these details, a truly realistic image and a complete transfer of the appearance of the plant will not work. Equally important is the observance of the general proportions and sizes of individual parts. This applies to thicknesses, lengths and all sorts of shapes.

The next step is to analyze the lighting. This is one of the most important foundations of botanical painting. It is necessary to answer questions about the direction in which the light falls, what are the features of coloring each individual part, depending on the light. At this stage, the colors of the palette and the color scheme of the entire image are determined.

After choosing the composition, it is worth starting to identify the features of the linear-constructive construction of the picture. At this stage, half of the realism is determined due to the accuracy of the transfer of the shape and proportions of the plant. The second half depends on the definition of the color scheme and the correct choice of color and tone relationships.

Features of drawing drawing

Knowledge of the four basic flower shapes in the drawing will help for the correct construction:

• Conical. This flower shapelilies, hyacinths and other perennial flowers whose buds are located on the same stem.
• Disc-shaped. The structure of daisies, gerberas and other flowers with petals located in the same plane begins with the creation of this very simple form.
• Spherical and hemispherical. The shape of flowers with a complex structure of a large number of petals, such as roses, peonies.
• Composite. A combination of three different forms in one. Represents the largest group of flowers, which includes orchids, irises, daffodils, etc.

At the composition stage, it is important to keep in mind the aerial perspective and proportions revealed when studying the model.

After a clear construction of the form with a pencil and a clear understanding of the fact that all proportions are met, you can move on to drawing flowers in watercolor.

Painting techniques in watercolor illustration

It is worth remembering that watercolor is a transparent paint, and thanks to this property, the images are delicate and airy. But meanwhile, the technique is quite difficult for beginners. The complexity of the work lies in the fact that the finished watercolor image cannot be remade in the same way as it is possible to change oil and pencil paintings. At first, this may scare off a novice artist, but each new attempt will prove that it is getting better and better. There are many techniques for writing in watercolor: glazing, washing, alla prima, filling. Botanical painting training can be started with any of these techniques or even a combination of them.

More about techniques

Glaze is a classic technique used in many masterpieces of watercolor art. The principle lies in the multi-layer application of paint. Due to the layering, the effect of deep translucence and color intensity appears.

Fill and hillshade are related. The first technique allows you to create a flawless background with a solid color or subtle transitions. Hillshade is used for color correction of the finished image

Alla prima is a work in one sitting. That is, the image is completely written in a raw way, and with the proper abilities, this allows you to create smooth color transitions and the greatest airiness. For beginners, the technique may not be given the first time, and "mud" will turn out, but training will help to achieve the result in the form of a juicy bright color.

All four types of techniques are perfect for depicting plants. It is only important to choose the most beneficial technique for different types of flowers and leaves in order to achieve a truly beautiful and believable pattern.

Flower illustration popularity

Watercolor flower drawings always look very gentle and beautiful. Perhaps because of this, this type of painting is becoming increasingly popular in the world. The perfect mastery of this art form can be a big step towards world fame. As a last resort, the acquired talent in this technique can always be used to design stylish accessories or interiors.